Sasha Yablonovsky, Board Member
At Little Brothers- Friends of the Elderly, we have a Highlight of the Week series where we shine a spotlight on members of the LBFE community including board members, older adults, volunteers, students, staff, CitySites (and more!) to learn about them and their experiences with LBFE. This week’s highlight is of one of our newest board members, Sasha Yablonovsky.
Please tell us a little about yourself- what background/professional experience do you have?
I was born and raised in Kazan USSR and immigrated with my family to Massachusetts when I was a teenager in the early nineties, weeks before USSR dissolved. I come from a small but a very close and loving family. I’m married and have two sons and a dog. Traveling all over the world, experiencing different cuisines, and immersing myself into live music shows is what I get the most excited about in my free time. Currently I’m an executive for a global tech company, that works with robot process automation and artificial intelligence to help companies better manage their data and costs. Many companies try to do this now, but my company has been doing this for decades with the government and other large entities, so it’s great to see how far the technology and process automation has come. My background is in IT and project management, and I majored in Psychology at Northeastern University.
What is it about LBFE that made you want to get more involved?
Growing up in the USSR, culturally a lot of emphasis is placed on how we treat the elderly. I was raised to be close with my grandparents and spend time with them. When I was in college, I came up with the idea of a not for profit that would bring elementary school kids to elderly communities and vice versa to facilitate interaction between generations by creating activities for both to enjoy – such as reading, drawing, etc. Needless to say I did not start my own not for profit; however, when I came across the LBFE organization, I thought it was too good to be true – the organization creates interaction between college students and the elderly communities and is looking to expand to include even younger generations to do the same. I knew I had to get involved and help drive this mission forward.
Describe your favorite memory of working with LBFE and how that impacted you.
My favorite memory so far is bringing my youngest son who is 6 years old to volunteer with me at the Rogerson House. For those who don’t know, Rogerson House is a living community for the elderly with dementia. I explained to my son in advance what that means and that he may be asked the same question by the same person over and over again. He just smiled at me and understood to be patient. Watching the faces of the residents light up by having a child visit them was incredible. He made bouquets of flowers for them, helped them color, and did his best to chat them up. He found the interaction humorous and the residents appreciated the young energy around them. My son drew a great parallel between how we are when we are first born and when we are much older – we start as a child who needs delicate and patient care and essentially end the same way. It was great to watch this interaction.
What do you think an age-friendly community is and why would that be important for older adults?
To me an age-friendly community means all generations are able to participate in activities together by including younger and older generations equally. Kids learn a ton from spending time with the elderly – not just history and experiences of different generations and what they had to live through, but most importantly respect for the older generation. The elderly in return live longer the more they are able to interact with the younger generations – it gives them energy, provides diverse conversations, and helps them live towards something each day. Aging can be very isolating. There are proven health benefits to the aging population from their interaction and exposure to different younger age groups.
What do you do to practice self-care?
It took many years to practice, but I am able to fully disconnect and be present for my family and myself putting all work related stuff on the back burner. When I travel, I don’t check work emails – I just take many pictures and share my experiences on FB (the only form of social media I practice). When I go out to dinner, I don’t check my phone. Self-care in today’s world to me is disconnecting and allowing yourself to experience the world around you and not on your screen, and letting your brain get a tech-break. I also try to be goofy and not take myself so seriously. My sister is really excellent at being goofy and letting go of being an adult and I think of her often when I need to lighten up.
Remember to check out next week’s blog to see who will be highlighted then!
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